Lucky Number Slevin

We begin in a parking garage with an assassination/robbery as a man is shot and falls into his driver-side window. Another place, another time and another man visits someone else seated behind a desk and swiftly whacks everyone in the room with a pair of glasses and a smooth fastball. The tale is one of revenge, 20-years-in-the-making, beginning with a sure-thing score on a horse race and ending in an example made in a routine mafia housecleaning. It's what Mr Goodkat (Bruce Willis) explains as the inciting incident to a "Kansas City Shuffle." This, he continues, is when someone points right, and you look right, and then proceeds to escape to the left. The "Shuffle" involves the story of Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnett) who comes to visit his friend Nick Fisher in the city. And in a classic case of mistaken identity, Slevin is picked up by Slo and Elvis, two enforcers for the Boss. Nick is in red to the Boss and the Rabbi, two kingpins, for quite a bit of money. So the Boss (Morgan Freeman) dragoons Slevin to kill the Rabbi's son in vendetta for the death of the Boss' son, who was assassinated recently. The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley,) however, just wants his money, in 48 hours, or Slevin is dead. And to top it off, Detective Brikowski (Stanley Tucci) doesn't know who he is. And then there's Mr. Goodkat, who's been hired to kill someone, and he will, no matter what happens. To complicate things Nick's sexy neighbor Lindsey (Lucy Liu) falls for Slevin with the feelings being mutual. Lines are crossed, confessions are made, people die and the strings behind it become clear and the puppet-master is unmasked.

This film's story, presentation and denouement seems as it would fit as comfortably on stage as it does on screen. With its static sets, chess-move plot, wit and dramatic tension, it's completely captivating. I found myself disinclined to turn away from the story, even to make dinner; a captive audience, despite the fact I can walk around my apartment freely (something I do not advocate you try while seeing anything at any theater.) The plot is perfectly tight, I can't see anything that could be cut or transposed. As well, the down-spiral from dark comedy to thrilling drama makes this film fresh and memorable with its quirky dialogue and dextrous character creations. The acting is top notch with quality performers Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Stanley Tucci and Bruce Willis; I enjoyed the photography, editing and music, as well; and I fell in love with Josh Hartnett the first time I saw this one. Granted the film's score is nothing you'd notice if it passed through the local classic-music station, but it fits perfectly and adds the right tension, romance and wit in enhancing the story.

My favorite scene is the prelude to the denouement with the denouement, when everything is capped off and the puppet-master and his motives are finally revealed. The operatic performance by Hartnett, Kingsley, Tucci, and Freeman was stunning. Stunning, as well, was the editing and the brilliant choice to hand a major part of the narration to an extra and leave the majority of the performances silent. Orson Wells said that a person should be able to turn off the sound of a film and still be able to tell what's happening. This is true during these scenes, it is edited and acted in such a way that, when I turned the sound off to watch the scene again, it plays out just the same: a sign of a great director. And this is a beautiful and elegant scene!! The prelude, between Kingsley and Freeman, is a powerful one and well done, being performed back-to-back and tied up in chairs. Bravo, gentlemen!!

****

Entrance Actor: Stanley Tucci

Exit Actor: Josh Hartnett

Coming Soon: Sin City